HUNDREDS OF FAMILIES WILL SPEND A sad Christmas after they lost their homes in a huge fire that razed a depressed area in Mandaluyong City on Monday night.

Some 400 houses were destroyed and P8 million worth of property went up in smoke after a blaze which raged for nearly five hours struck Block 37 on Panatag Street, Welfareville Compound in Barangay Addition Hills, fire officials said.

Chief Insp. Nahum Tarroza of the Mandaluyong Fire Department said the fire originated from the shanty of Veronica Arsenal, who reportedly had her electrical connection disconnected before the blaze.

“She apparently used a gas lamp which sparked the fire,” Tarroza said, adding that the investigators had not yet found Arsenal whom they wanted to question.

In all, some 700 families were displaced. They spent the night in a temporary evacuation center at Fabella Elementary School where they received food and aid from city hall.

Senior Insp. Ferdinand Samson said the fire was first reported at 6:45 p.m. and reached the general alarm at 7:10 p.m.

A general alarm means the deployment of all available fire trucks in Metro Manila and neighboring places to stop a fire.

It was put out at 11:55 p.m.

Samson said firefighters had a hard time reaching the area as the alleys were too narrow and the shanties crammed together.

Tarroza said that previously, there had been no road leading inside the settlement until one was constructed by City Hall. Still, firefighters were prevented from reaching the site immediately because of road obstructions.